AFRICA: Greece has shut down its airspace for flights from Libya until 08SEP, fueling speculation of a first step for a possible NATO mission in the nation.

AMERICAS: A Romanian citizen has been convicted in New York of conspiring to sell military-grade weapons to informants who said they wanted to shoot down American helicopters in Colombia.

ASIA: The Chinese military is poised to send submarines armed with nuclear missiles into the Pacific Ocean for the first time, due to new US weapons systems.

EUROPE: Turkey must uphold its side of a deal made with the EU over stemming the flow of migrants, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, warning “threats” against the bloc will not work.

MIDDLE EAST: In Iraq, only 800 people have been able to flee Fallujah since Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to retake the city, the UN said.

TECHNOLOGY: Bangladesh police are reviewing a nearly forgotten 2013 cyber heist at the nation’s largest commercial bank for connections to February’s USD 81M heist at the country’s central bank.

TOP STORY

Group of Seven: Global conference begins with focus on world economy.

Leaders from the world’s top seven industrialized nations gathered in Japan for what will be US President Barack Obama’s last such meeting before leaving office.

Group of Seven leaders voiced concern about emerging economies as their host, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, made a pointed comparison to the 2008 global financial crisis.

Abe presented documents showing that commodity prices had fallen by 55 percent between 2014 and January 2016, similar to the margin by which they fell in 2008-2009, among other data.

In addition to the economy, the world leaders were expected to discuss trade, politics, climate change, and energy.

Burkina Faso: The party of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has won municipal elections seen as a key step in the country’s transition to democracy from the authoritarian rule. (AFP)

Libya: Greece has shut down its airspace for flights from the country until 08SEP, fueling speculation of a first step for a possible NATO mission in the nation. (DPA)

Uganda: The son of President Yoweri Museveni, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has rejected claims that he plans to succeed his father. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Region: Venezuelan authorities dismantled a drug-trafficking ring with links to a Mexican cartel after seizing more than 3.4 metric tons of cocaine. (AP)

Brazil: Thousands of citizens lined up at a Rio jobs fair, desperate to escape the country’s economic nosedive. (AFP)

Colombia: A Romanian citizen has been convicted in New York of conspiring to sell military-grade weapons to informants who said they wanted to shoot down American helicopters in the country. (AP)

ASIA

Region: The Chinese military is poised to send submarines armed with nuclear missiles into the Pacific Ocean for the first time, due to new US weapons systems. (Guardian)

Australia: Counter-terrorism police arrested a 24-year-old man in Sydney on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack, the latest in a string of arrests connected with radical Islamist-inspired violence. (Reuters)

Bangladesh: Police said they suspect local Islamists may have murdered a one-legged Hindu shop owner who was hacked to death outside his store, the latest in a wave of killings of liberals and religious minorities. (AFP)

Japan: The Okinawa assembly prepared a protest calling for the withdrawal of US Marines from the island prefecture following the arrest of a civilian US base worker linked to the death of a local woman. (Kyodo)

EUROPE

Region: Turkey must uphold its side of a deal made with the EU over stemming the flow of migrants, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, warning “threats” against the bloc will not work. (AFP)

Region: Germany says the EU is facing difficult talks on extending sanctions against Russia due to the increased resistance of some member states. (AFP)

Estonia: Prime Minister Taavi Roivas is asking for a permanent presence of NATO troops in the Baltic states. (DPA)

Spain: Police say 11 people were injured in a third consecutive night of clashes with protesters supporting squatters in the northeastern city of Barcelona. (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: The Israeli air force carried out attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket attack targeting the Jewish state. (AFP)

Region: Syria was the most dangerous place for health care workers to operate last year, ahead of other conflict zones like the Palestinian territories, and Yemen, the World Health Organization said. (AFP)

Iraq: PM Haider al-Abadi has appealed to Iraqis to postpone weekly Friday protests so that security forces can focus on a key military operation aimed at retaking the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State group. (AP)

Iraq: Only 800 people have been able to flee Fallujah since Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to retake the city, the UN said. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: Bangladesh police are reviewing a nearly forgotten 2013 cyber heist at the nation’s largest commercial bank for connections to February’s USD 81M heist at the country’s central bank. (Reuters)